Vikash Vijan Lal, Kamini Numbi Ramudu, Ponesakki Ganesan, Anandasadagopan Suresh Kumar
Biochemistry and Biotechnology Laboratory, Central Leather Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Adyar, Chennai, 600020, India.
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025 Mar 29;41(4):118. doi: 10.1007/s11274-025-04336-4.
Keratin is an important bioresource primarily found in feathers, hair, wool, nails, claws, hooves, horns, and beaks. These crucial protein sources are utilized in many ways for diverse applications. The peptides of keratin develop hierarchical complexity, which leads to the formation of these recalcitrant biomasses. Therefore, microbial breakdown of keratin is a complex process and involves important proteolytic enzymes and inorganic factors. Disulfide bond reduction is the key step in keratin degradation that is mainly facilitated by disulfide-reducing agents or disulfide reductases. Notably, α- and β-keratinous substrates exhibit different structural features; as a result, their disintegration processes make a diversity among keratinous biomass. Various studies have suggested that pretreatment can improve degradation yield following microbial processes. Keratin hydrolysates have been investigated for various uses that contribute to mitigating the environmental impact of these solid wastes. Furthermore, keratin peptides possess bioactive properties, including antioxidant, cytoprotective, and anticancer effects, making them potential candidates for biomedical and nutritional sectors. Microbial keratinases are known for a wide range of substrate specificity that significantly contributes to areas like prion decontamination, carcass processing, antimicrobial functions, and skin exfoliation. This review aims to examine keratin bioresources, their structure, and microbial mechanisms for keratin degradation, along with current insights and future applications of keratin hydrolysates and keratinases.
角蛋白是一种重要的生物资源，主要存在于羽毛、毛发、羊毛、指甲、爪子、蹄、角和喙中。这些重要的蛋白质来源在许多方面有不同的用途。角蛋白的肽形成了层次复杂性，这导致了这些难降解生物质的形成。因此，角蛋白的微生物分解是一个复杂的过程，涉及重要的蛋白水解酶和无机因素。二硫键还原是角蛋白降解的关键步骤，主要由二硫键还原剂或二硫键还原酶促进。值得注意的是，α-角蛋白和β-角蛋白底物表现出不同的结构特征；因此，它们的分解过程使角蛋白生物质具有多样性。各种研究表明，预处理可以提高微生物处理后的降解产率。角蛋白水解产物已被研究用于各种用途，有助于减轻这些固体废物对环境的影响。此外，角蛋白肽具有生物活性，包括抗氧化、细胞保护和抗癌作用，使其成为生物医学和营养领域的潜在候选物。微生物角蛋白酶以其广泛的底物特异性而闻名，这在朊病毒去污、尸体处理、抗菌功能和皮肤去角质等领域有显著贡献。本综述旨在研究角蛋白生物资源、其结构以及角蛋白降解的微生物机制，以及角蛋白水解产物和角蛋白酶的当前见解和未来应用。
